Secrets of My Heart
by alayahchanel
Summary: Rachel Berry knew nothing but the life of a princess. She had no room for a life outside of learning to be queen. Until her country goes to war. For her safety, she is sent to the states where she must live with the Puckerman family. While pretending to be a normal American teenager, is it possible that she might find love with the son of her host family? Puckleberry romance
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I had a little bit of time in between studying for finals so I wanted to give you a preview of a story that I'll be doing once I'm home for the summer. I wanted to take a break from writing Puck and Rachel as adults and put them back in high school, despite the little bit of fantasy involved so I came up with this. I hope you all enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

**Plot: Rachel Berry knew nothing but the life of a princess. She had no room for a life outside of learning to be queen. Until her country goes to war. For her safety, she is sent to the states where she must live with the Puckerman family. While pretending to be a normal American teenager, is it possible that she might find love with the son of her host family?**

Chapter 1: A Princess in Danger

Rachel looked at herself in the mirror as she prepared for her lessons for the day. She hated to admit it but she felt like she was starting to get tired of the same princess routine. Every day she woke up, completed her lessons, went to meetings and events with her parents, then by the time all of it was done, she only had an hour to herself before it was time to go to sleep. It was exhausting but it's been her life for the past sixteen years.

The country of Mercier was a small country but to Rachel it was home. She knew that she would soon be queen of the kingdom and she took it very seriously. But there was another part of her that was still a teenage girl. She wanted to have fun and experience things that normal girls her age do. Because of being a princess, she didn't have the luxury of having a large group of friends to spend time with. And in all the books that she has read over the years, she yearned for the epic romance that she's read about. Nothing thrilled her more than the belief that there was someone out there for her. Even though she was supposed to choose from the eligible princes in other kingdoms when she turned twenty-one, she still hoped that she would find some way to get out of it and fall in love in her own way.

"Rachel, darling!" she heard her mother call. "Are you up?"

"Yes mother," she replied. Her mother, Shelby, appeared in the doorway and shook her head in disapproval.

"Rachel I do not understand why you do not just have the servants help you get prepared for the day."

"I am at the age where I am capable of dressing myself. I do not need their help to do something so simple."

This was a constant thing between her and her parents. They believed that she should use the servants for everything while she would rather do things herself. It didn't make sense to use the servants for things that she could easily do herself.

Shelby sighed at her daughter. "Well finish getting prepared and come to common room for your lessons. Today you will learn how to handle issues of the country."

"Fun," Rachel mumbled. It was getting to a point where Rachel was beginning to hate learning to be queen. She wanted to see a world outside of these castle walls but the only time that happens is when her and her parents go to another country to solve an issue.

While she was finishing getting ready, her father, Hiram, appeared next to Shelby. He looked at his daughter and chuckled. "Still refusing to use the help, I see."

"This daughter of yours is very stubborn." Shelby replied.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "While your conversation may be important, I do not appreciate the two of you talking as if I am not here."

"Well if you would hurry and finish getting prepared, we wouldn't have to stand here, waiting for you," Shelby shook her head as she started walking away. "I will be in the common room, waiting."

While her mother was leaving, Rachel turned to her father. "Father, I know I have my lessons today but I was wondering, is it possible that I could take a walk around town?"

Hiram shook her head. "Rachel, you know the rules. You are not to go anywhere without the guards."

"But our kingdom is very safe, nothing could possibly happen to me. I always do everything you or Mother ask of me. Can I please do this one thing?"

"No. You will attend your lessons, come to the meeting with the country of Grendelon with your mother and me, and come back here. End of discussion."

Rachel sighed to herself as her father walked away. Hiram and Shelby Berry were the king and queen of the country. Whatever they said was the law of the land. They had control over everything including their daughter, much to her dismay. They controlled Rachel's schedule, who she spent her time with, what clothes she wore. While everyone in the kingdom would love to be Rachel, she would much rather be them. She would love to know what it's like to be a regular teenager who had a choice over what they did. But unfortunately, that couldn't happen with her. Once she is done being a princess, she must be the queen and then for the rest of her life she will be controlled.

XXXXXXXXX

After her lessons were completed, Rachel went to the meeting with her parents. However, the royal family of Grendelon hadn't shown up yet. An hour went by and the family still hadn't arrived.

Shelby looked at her husband. "Hiram, are you sure the meeting is today?"

"Yes, I'm positive. I checked the schedule just this morning and it was still there."

Rachel stayed silent while her parents tried to figure out why their guests haven't arrived yet. While they were discussing it, Joe, the head of the guards, came running in. He stopped and looked at the royal family.

"My king the soldiers of Grendelon have attacked," he said, breathlessly. "They are upon us and ready to approach the castle."

Hiram stood from his chair. "What is it they want?"

"They told me that the king, Bernard, has sent a message: they want more land and control over Mercier. And they want it immediately."

"Well they can't have it." Hiram shook his head. "We had a deal, they could only have Grendelon. Anything pass the bridge is Mercier."

"That is not enough for them. They want all of it and they will do anything to get it. Including attacking us."

"And what do they plan on doing with us? They must know that we will not give up the throne so easily."

"King Bernard wants a marriage between the princess and their prince, Jesse. That way, the people of Mercier won't see it as a complete takeover."

"Rachel has not even reached the age to pick an eligible suitor." Shelby shook her head in disbelief. "She is only sixteen."

"That may be true but ultimately, they want to take over Mercier. They assume that by having the princess and their prince marry, that will help make that happen. If you refuse, they will not hesitate to kill any of you. Especially the princess."

Rachel felt her heart stop. She didn't want to be forced into marriage but she also didn't want to be killed just because a country was greedy. She gripped her mother's arm. "Mother, please do not make me do this. I love my country more than anything but I want to at least have the freedom to pick my suitor."

Shelby tried to ease her daughter's fears. "Relax my darling, you will not be forced into marriage."

"Yes, the last thing we are going to do is give into that tyrant's demands." Hiram rubbed his forehead to think. "But we can't afford to have you stay here."

Everyone snapped their heads towards the king. Shelby went over to him. "Hiram what are you talking about?"

"It is not safe for Rachel to stay here. She is the heir to the throne, if they kill her there is no one left in our line to run the kingdom. The power would immediately go to King Bernard and his line."

"So what are you saying?"

Hiram sighed. "We must send Rachel into hiding. We must put her someplace where they will never find her."

Rachel's eyes widened in fear. "Father, please do not send me away. I promise I will stay away from them, I will go someplace in the castle where they will never find me. Just please do not make me leave you and Mother."

"I wish there was another option but there isn't. These people will kill you if you refuse to marry their prince. Unless you want to be married to that prince, we have no other choice but to send you far away from here. We will bring you back once we defeat Bernard's army and run him out of the country."

Rachel looked to her mother, hoping that she would protest but Shelby stayed silent. "Mother?"

Shelby looked between Hiram and Rachel, feeling tears develop in her eyes. "I am sorry, my darling. But we need to listen your father."

Rachel felt like her whole world was crashing down. Not only was her home being invaded, but she was being forced to leave or else she will be killed or forced to marry the pompous Prince Jesse. At the end of the day, she would rather die than be forced to marry someone she truly didn't love.

Hiram turned to Joe. "Send out the troops. If Bernard wants a war, then that is exactly what he'll get." Joe nodded and ran out to follow orders while Hiram turned to his queen and daughter. "As for you, we will need to get you out of here as soon as possible."

The royal family called upon their good family friend, Daniel, to help get Rachel out of the kingdom. An hour later, Daniel arrived in Rachel's bedroom ready to help.

He bowed before the family. "My king, queen, and princess."

"Daniel we must get Rachel out of the kingdom as soon as possible." Hiram urged. "Do you know where we can send her without anyone being suspicious?"

"Well after some quick research, I learned that international students participate in something called Foreign Exchange programs. It is where students from other countries are allowed to travel to a country to study there and live with another family."

"Yes we have heard of them but those take months to clear," Shelby pointed out.

"That it is why we have already created a visa for the princess to use so she will not have to go through that process. All she has to do is get to the country and the family will be there to get her," he explained. One of the reasons Hiram and Shelby love Daniel so much is because he is always quick and ready to take care of any situation.

"So where am I going?" Rachel asked, getting frightened by the idea of going to a different country.

"America. You will be living in a place called Lima, Ohio and staying with the Puckerman family." Daniel noticed the terrified look on Rachel's face and sighed. "I'm sorry, Princess, but this is how it has to be. Now while you are there, you are to keep your identity as a princess a secret. Now the only one who knows your true identity will be the mother, Mrs. Puckerman. Other than her, no one must know. To them, you are a regular teenager in America. And I'm afraid that while you are in America, you will not be allowed to contact anyone here. Including your mother and father."

Rachel felt tears in her eyes as she looked at her parents. They looked as distressed as she did. She turned back to Daniel. "So I will not know if they are safe?"

"I'm afraid not, my princess. But I promise you that we will do everything in our power to keep them safe. Now we must hurry and get you out of here before the Grendelon soldiers make it to the castle. We will pack your belongings while you say your goodbyes."

While Daniel enlisted the servants' help to pack her things, Rachel and her parents walked off to another room. The walk was silent, as no one wanted any part of this task. But they knew that the safety of their princess depended on it. When they got to the room, Hiram and Shelby turned to their daughter.

"Mother, Father." Rachel began to sob. Shelby took her into her arms to try to calm her.

"It will be alright, my love." She soothed. "We will be together again, I promise."

"I do not want to leave. Please, I am sure that you can keep me safe here."

Hiram shook his head. "You know that is not true, Rachel. We do not want to take the chance of the soldiers ransacking the castle and finding you. This is for the best." Rachel began crying harder from her father's words so Hiram pulled her into a hug. "You will be alright, my princess. We will be right here waiting for you to return. But we need you to be strong during this. Can you do that for us? Can you wipe those tears and put on a brave face for your mother and me?"

Rachel wiped her tears and tried to keep them back to do what her father was asking of her. She did not want to disappoint him. "I love you both."

Hiram opened his arm for Shelby to join in the hug. "We love you too. That will never change, no matter how long you are away for."

The family stayed like that until someone came to announce that Rachel's plane was ready. Together, the royal family made their way to where the plane was sitting. Daniel announced that he would accompany Rachel to America and see that she met with Mrs. Puckerman. Once everyone understood, the king, queen and princess exchanged one last hug before Rachel boarded the plane. Once she was on, she waved to her parents as the plane began to take off. As she got further and further away from the place she has always called home, she forced herself to hold back her tears and try to remember what her father said. She had to be strong. Not only for herself but for her parents as well. It was the only way that they could ever survive this ordeal.

**So tell me what you think! Like I said, this is a preview so if you love it, I'll continue after my finals are done. I might have time to update **_**A Forever Kind of Love **_**and **_**Too Little Too Late**_** this weekend but we'll see. Don't forget to review. Bye for now :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! Thanks for the positive response and to answer a question about the story, yes the idea of why Rachel needed to leave her country was based on the Princess Protection Program movie. However, this story will be completely different from that movie. Just wanted to clear that up. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 2: Meeting the Puckermans

Once Rachel got to America, she was ready to meet this host family that would be taking care of her. However, she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to be meeting them in her princess clothes. She turned to Daniel.

"Is it a good idea to meet them, dressed like this? I thought we did not want them to know about me being a princess?"

Daniel looked at her red blazer and matching skirt that came down to her knees and shook his head. "You're dressed for business. You should be fine. But we do have to discuss something."

"What is it?"

"You cannot tell anyone your last name. I've learned that Rachel is a common name here but we cannot keep your last name as Berry."

Rachel nodded even though she hated the idea of losing another part of herself. "So what will it be?"

Daniel thought for a moment. "Barber. Rachel Barber. Does that sound okay?"

Rachel nodded as they got off the plane. When Rachel looked around, she noticed a woman standing there waiting for them. "Daniel who is that woman?"

"She is Mrs. Maria Puckerman. She will be your host for the time that you are here."

Maria walked over to the princess and her friend and gave a small smile. "Hello dear. Under normal circumstances I would bow and call you princess but-"

"It is okay, there is no need to do that. It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Puckerman and thank you for taking me at such a difficult time."

"It's my pleasure and please, call me Maria."

Rachel turned to Daniel. "Are you sure I will be safe here?"

Daniel nodded. "This is a small town, they would never think of looking here. Maria will take good care of you. I promise, you will be fine."

Rachel nodded, knowing she shouldn't question him any further. He pulled Maria to the side to go over last minute details as Rachel took in her surroundings. _This place looks pleasant_, she thought. _Maybe this could be an exceptional place to call home for the time being._ Once Daniel and Maria were finished talking, Daniel took Rachel's things to the car. When he finished loading everything, he turned to the princess and pulled her into a hug.

"Be safe, my princess," he whispered.

"Keep my mother and father safe."

"Always," he smiled. Rachel gave a small smile back before getting into the car. Maria got into the car and started to drive away. Rachel waved to Daniel until she could no longer see him.

Maria saw how upset Rachel was and decided to cheer her up. "Lima isn't so bad. It's a small town so everyone knows each other. I was told that your country was small as well."

Rachel nodded. "We know everyone in the country. It comes along with being royalty."

"I know you're upset about all of this but I'm sure everything will be okay. In the meantime, think of it as a fun new experience. You might like being in a new country."

Rachel knew that Maria was trying to make her feel better but she just couldn't bring herself to smile at the idea of the new experience. All she wanted was to go back to Mercier and be with her parents. She turned to Maria. "Do you have any children?"

"Yes, I have two. My son, Noah, and my daughter, Sara. Noah is actually your age and Sara is seven. They're at school right now so you'll meet them when they come home."

Rachel nodded as she turned to stare out the window. She couldn't stop thinking about her parents. If Grendelon's army got to them or if King Bernard has done something to them. She hated this and more than anything, she just wanted to get back on that plane and go home. But until then, she would have to remember that she was no longer Princess Rachel of Mercier. She was just a girl visiting America.

XXXXXXXXX

Puck changed back into his clothes in the locker room after football practice, exhausted. He just wanted to go home and take a nap. It was bad enough he had to put up with teachers who gave him a hard time all because he didn't care about the work, he also had to attend glee club rehearsal where Santana kept yelling at everyone in Spanish because they couldn't get a dance number correct and then football practice where the team didn't know how to score a touchdown. This day just needed to be over for him.

While he was putting his stuff back in the locker, his best friend, Finn, came over to him. "Hey man, you coming over to play video games?"

"No, my mom's been bugging me to make sure I come home right after practice. She threatened to throw away everything in my room if I didn't."

"Okay well I'll see you later." As Finn walked away, Puck got his stuff and left as well. Normally, he would've tried to get out of his mom's requests but he wasn't in the mood to argue this time. He just hoped that whatever the reason was for him coming home didn't involve any manual labor on his part.

When he walked in his house ten minutes later, Puck went straight upstairs, not even bothering to let his mother know he was home. However when he walked pass the spare bedroom, he noticed a girl in there. He backed up and stood in the doorway, watching the girl put her clothes in the drawers. He knocked on the door, obviously scaring her.

"Oh sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Rachel nodded, trying to calm her nerves. "That is alright."

Puck looked around the suitcases in the room and looked back at Rachel. "So who are you?"

"Oh I am sorry, I've forgotten my manners." She tried to laugh through her nervousness while remembering her new identity. "I'm Rachel Barber."

"Puck," he motioned to himself. "So why are you here?"

Before Rachel could respond, Maria walked in with extra blankets. "Noah that is no way to speak to our house guest."

Rachel looked at him. "You're Noah? I thought your name was Puck?"

Before he could answer, Maria cut in. "That's what he prefers for everyone to call him. He hates being called by his given name so he prefers for people to think he's named after a fairy."

Rachel giggled as Puck's face reddened. "Mom, really?"

But Maria ignored him as she set the extra blankets on the bed. "Like I was saying, this is Rachel Barber. She's part of an exchange program and will be staying with us for a while. I want you to be nice and make her feel welcomed. If you don't, I will personally take everything out of your room and even sell your Xbox."

"Okay, okay I'll be nice. So she'll be going to school with me?"

"Yes so I expect you to help her. Now I have to get Sara from school and pick up dinner before I go back to work."

While she was walking out, Puck turned to Rachel. "Okay well I'll be in my room taking a nap. If you could take care of Sara when she gets here, I'd appreciate it. Thanks."

Before Rachel could respond, Puck walked out and slammed his bedroom door behind him. She sighed to herself and sat on her bed, pulling out a small photo of her and her parents that she was able to take with her. Tears welled in her eyes, thinking about them. Were they safe? Were they worried about her? Deciding that she needed to rest, Rachel laid down and closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall asleep.

Meanwhile, Puck was laying in his own bed letting his mind drift to the girl living in the room down the hall from him. He couldn't lie, she was crazy beautiful but a little more reserved than what he's used to. Especially with what she was wearing. Maybe the place she came from was really conservative and didn't let women show off their bodies. She would definitely learn that, that is not how things are done in America.

XXXXXXXX

The next day, Rachel stood in front of the mirror observing how she looked. She wore a soft pink dress with half of her hair up in a clip and the rest of it flowing down at her back. She went to the kitchen, where Maria and Sara were sitting and eating breakfast. She met Sara yesterday when she woke up from her nap and while she's never had any siblings, Rachel couldn't deny the immediate attachment to the little girl. She was adorable and Rachel was grateful that at least one of the Puckerman kids seemed welcoming.

As she sat down, Sara smiled at her. "Good morning Rachel."

Rachel smiled back. "Good morning."

Maria set down a bagel with cream cheese and fruit in front of her. "Daniel told me that you are a vegetarian so eat up. Don't want to be hungry on your first day."

"Thank you. How will I be getting to school?"

"Noah will take you." Before Rachel could respond, Puck came downstairs. Maria looked at him. "Speak of the devil. Noah, you will be taking Rachel to school with you."

"Fantastic," he mumbled under his breath. Rachel avoided his eyes, aware of him not being happy about taking her to school while Puck got some cereal. He didn't like the fact that all of a sudden he was being forced to hang around this foreign exchange student. She wasn't his responsibility but now he was forced to help her out.

Fifteen minutes later, Puck and Rachel pulled up in front of the school. Rachel looked around at all of the girls and what they were wearing. When Puck saw what she was looking at, he smirked.

"Welcome to America. The land where girls wear skirts so short that you can see their ovaries."

Rachel gaped at his comment. "I am not used to this at all. In my country, girls wear dresses and skirts that come down to at least their knees."

"You'll get used to it. Let's go." He got out of the car but Rachel stayed there, waiting to see if he would open the door. He looked at her. "Are you coming?"

Becoming aware of her mistake, Rachel quickly got out of the car and ran to catch up with Puck. She had to remember that customs are different in America. Maybe the men aren't as friendly as she had hoped. Puck was proving that teenaged boys are not what she expected them to be.

As soon as they walked inside of the school, Puck left Rachel's side and went on his way. She frowned to herself, realizing that she was on her on. As she walked through the halls to try and find where her locker is, she observed her surroundings. Being a princess, she never attended an actual school. Everything was strange and unusual. There were some girls who walked around in red uniforms, who Rachel concluded were cheerleaders from her research of American customs.

While she was looking around at everyone, she suddenly felt a freezing cold liquid get thrown in her face. While she wiped her eyes she heard a boy yell, "Welcome to McKinley, new kid! Maybe next time you'll wear some clothes from this century."

Rachel took a deep breath and tried to hold in her tears when she felt someone's arm wrap around her shoulders.

"Come on sweetie," she heard a feminine male voice say as he started to lead her to the bathroom. After her eyes were wiped clean from the corn syrup, she looked and saw a boy and girl standing in front of her, cleaning her off.

"Thank you," she told them. "You do not have to do this."

"Trust us, we know how it feels," the boy said. "Being in glee club kind of does that for you. But I guess since you're a new kid, you get the honor of having it done to you."

"Lucky me. My name is Rachel, by the way."

"I'm Kurt and this is Mercedes." He motioned to the girl standing on the other side of her.

Mercedes shook her head at Rachel. "Girl I hate to say this but Karofsky may have been right about your outfit."

Kurt nodded. "Yeah you look like someone's old grandmother."

Rachel looked down at her now ruined dress and sighed. "I'm an exchange student so I do not know much about what Americans wear here."

Kurt jumped up in excitement. "Oh I've always wanted to meet someone from another country. Where are you from?"

Rachel was about to say the name of her country but she knew that it could possibly put her in danger. She had to lie. "Germany. I am from Germany."

Mercedes nodded. "Well here in America, we don't wear stuff like that." She pointed to Rachel's dress. "Unless it's to church. Where are you staying?"

"Noah Puckerman's house. Do you know him?"

Kurt put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh I'm sorry. Puck can be a jerk sometimes but you'll get used to him."

"Yes I learned that he is not the friendliest person. But it is nothing I cannot handle."

"Well how about Mercedes and I take you shopping after glee rehearsal?"

"What is glee?" Rachel asked, confused.

"It's a club where we sing and compete in competitions. Can you sing?"

"Oh yes. My mother and I used to put on performances for those who lived near us."

Kurt and Mercedes looked at each other before turning back to Rachel. Mercedes smiled. "I think you should come with us to rehearsal. Show everyone what you got. Then afterwards, we'll take you to the mall."

Kurt nodded. "Yeah because no offense honey, but you are in need of a serious makeover."

"Um okay," Rachel said, unsure of the whole idea.

"Great so let's at least get you a jacket or something to cover up your slushy stain." The three of them walked out of the bathroom and once Rachel got a jacket, she was off to class. She felt a little better, knowing that she may have made some friends. She thought that Puck would be one of those friends but he seemed to want nothing to do with her. America wasn't exactly what she expected but maybe Mercedes and Kurt will make it easier on her.

**So Rachel's first day isn't exactly what she imagined but at least she made friends with Kurt and Mercedes. Will Puck be more open to her? And how will glee club rehearsal go for her? Find out in the next chapter. Don't forget to review! Bye for now :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! I'm glad you are enjoying the story. I know Puck seems unfriendly now but in this chapter, we'll find out why he's so unhappy about Rachel being around. As for Rachel, we'll see her getting used to being in America as well as her interacting with Puck more. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3: A Voice of an Angel

The rest of the day went by quickly for Rachel. She found herself mostly just observing American culture and noting the similarities to what she found in her research. But she was disappointed that she didn't see much of Puck. It was like he was trying to avoid her altogether and while this was disheartening, Rachel was just happy that she made at least two friends.

When it came time to go to glee club, she was buzzing with excitement. She and her mother had always sang for the kingdom in times of celebration or holidays. It made her even more excited to know that she could have a part of her that didn't have to be kept a secret from everyone.

She was brought out of her thoughts when Mercedes and Kurt came over to her. She smiled at them. "Is it time for glee rehearsal?"

Kurt nodded as they started walking to the classroom. "Do you know what song you're going to sing?"

Rachel looked back at them confused. "I have to sing a song? Alone?"

Mercedes nodded. "Yeah, we can't let you join without auditioning. We have to make sure you can sing first."

Rachel remained quiet for the rest of the walk, unsure of what she was going to sing. She wasn't familiar with any American singers and she was sure that they wouldn't want to hear some song from Mercier. Then it hit her. She wrote a song during the plane ride to give herself comfort from the situation. She could just sing that to them.

When they walked inside the classroom, the teacher was writing something on the board before Kurt got his attention.

"Mr. Schue, we have a foreign exchange student who wants to be in glee club."

Mr. Schuester looked at Rachel and smiled, shaking her hand. "I'm Mr. Schuester and welcome to America."

"Thank you, it is so nice to meet you. My name is Rachel Barber."

Before Mr. Schuester could respond, a Latina snickered. "I guess in her country, everyone looks like a dwarf."

"And dresses like a homeless person," a blond smirked. Rachel frowned but chose not to let it bother her. If they were back in Mercier, she would have the power to feed them to her pet tigers so she decided to let it go.

"Santana, Quinn enough," Mr. Schuester scolded. "Let's make Rachel feel welcomed."

The girls rolled their eyes as Puck walked in, much to Rachel's surprise. He looked at her, obviously surprised to see her as well. "What are you doing here?"

"Mercedes and Kurt have convinced me to join glee club since my host is being a very bad one. Although I must say I am more than a little surprised to see you here. I did not know you could sing."

He shrugged, trying not to show that he enjoyed impressing her. "Yeah well, chicks dig singers."

As he walked away, Rachel shook off her confusion over the American language and turned to see that everyone in the club had arrived. Mr. Schuester clapped his hands to get their attention.

"Alright before we begin, I want to introduce you to Rachel Barber. She's an exchange student and she wants to audition for the club so let's give her our full attention." He motioned to Rachel as a way of telling her to step forward.

When she did so, she tried to shake off the nervousness of everyone staring at her. _This is ridiculous_, she thought. _You performed in front of a whole kingdom and you are nervous about a group of commoners?_ She shook her head to erase the thoughts and looked at everyone. "I do not know any American singers so I am just going to sing that I wrote. It's very special to me and I hope you all enjoy it."

After giving the piano guy the music, Rachel took her place again in the center of the room. She began to think back to how she was feeling on the plane. How she felt so alone and afraid and just wishing for this whole thing to be a dream.

_You're not alone  
Together we stand  
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand  
When it gets cold  
And it feels like the end  
There's no place to go  
You know I won't give in  
No I won't give in_

She thought about her parents. How while she was safe in another country they were in danger. She just wanted them to be okay and make it through this.

_Keep holding on_  
_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_  
_Just stay strong_  
_'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you_  
_There's nothing you could say_  
_Nothing you could do_  
_There's no other way when it comes to the truth_  
_So keep holding on_  
_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

Rachel felt tears in her eyes as she sang the next part but she remembered her father's words. She had to be strong. If not for herself then for her parents and her kingdom.

_So far away  
I wish you were here  
Before it's too late, this could all disappear  
Before the doors close  
And it comes to an end  
With you by my side I will fight and defend  
I'll fight and defend  
Yeah, yeah_

_Keep holding on_  
_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_  
_Just stay strong_  
_'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you_  
_There's nothing you could say_  
_Nothing you could do_  
_There's no other way when it comes to the truth_  
_So keep holding on_  
_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

_Hear me when I say, when I say I believe_  
_Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny_  
_Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly_  
_Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

Puck sat there, speechless. He had never heard a voice so beautiful and it amazed him that it was coming from his tiny house guest. What else could she do that he didn't know?

_La da da da  
La da da da  
La da da da da da da da da_

_Keep holding on_  
_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_  
_Just stay strong_  
_'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you_  
_There's nothing you could say_  
_Nothing you could do_  
_There's no other way when it comes to the truth_  
_So keep holding on_  
_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

_Keep holding on_  
_Keep holding on_

_There's nothing you could say_  
_Nothing you could do_  
_There's no other way when it comes to the truth_  
_So keep holding on_  
_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

When she finished, the entire club was silent. Even Mr. Schuester didn't know what to say. For a second, Rachel assumed they thought she was horrible. But the feeling went away when they started clapping for her, excitedly. Mr. Schuester got up from his chair, smiling.

"Wow." He looked back at the club who, with the exception of Santana and Quinn, were nodding eagerly. "Welcome to the glee club!"

Rachel smiled and for the first time since she got here, she felt truly excited for what's to come while she was in this new place.

XXXXXXXXXX

After glee rehearsal, Puck ran over to Rachel. "Hey, why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?"

"When would I have gotten the chance? When you did not talk to me the whole ride to school? When you left me in a strange school and did not help me find my way around?"

Puck sighed. "Look, so I was a little unwelcoming. Doesn't mean you have to get all uptight about it."

Before Rachel could respond, Kurt and Mercedes came over to them. When they noticed Rachel's angry face, Kurt frowned at Puck. "Really Puckerman? She's your house guest and you're being so rude. This is not how we want her to be perceiving America."

Puck glared at him. "Shut it, Hummel. This is none of your business.'

Mercedes stepped forward. "Rachel's our girl now so that makes it our business. And since you're not being a very good host, we're going to take her out and show her things about America that you didn't bother to show her."

He looked at Rachel. "I can't come home without you, my mom would kill me."

She frowned. "Why would she do something so extreme for a minor infraction?"

Kurt put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No sweetie, it's an American expression. His mom wouldn't really kill him. She would just be really upset with him."

Rachel nodded in understanding then turned back to Puck. "Well I'm sorry Noah but I already made plans with Mercedes and Kurt. It would be rude to just cancel on them so I am going. I'm sure Maria will understand."

Without another word, Rachel left with Mercedes and Kurt following behind her. Puck sighed in frustration but he couldn't help but find it attractive the way Rachel didn't listen to him. As much as this is going to annoy him, he couldn't help but like her confidence.

While he was thinking, Finn came over to him. "Hey dude. Since when do you have a thing for foreign girls?"

"She's staying with me and my mom. I was supposed to be babysitting her but she ran off with Lady Hummel and Aretha." He groaned in frustration as they left the classroom. "I don't know how I got stuck taking care of some girl that I didn't ask to be here in the first place."

"Why are you so against it?"

Puck sighed. "My mom has enough on her plate as it is. We don't need some foreign exchange girl coming in and adding more stress to our house. Plus, there's something off about her. You should see this chick. She acts like everything is supposed to be done for her. Just last night, she asked if I was going to 'run her bath' for her. Girl's weird."

Finn shrugged. "She's from a different country. Things are obviously done differently there. Come on, since you're not taking care of her we can go to my house and play Call of Duty."

While they walked to the car, Puck couldn't get Rachel out of his mind. She seemed genuinely hurt that he was being so uncomfortable around her. But her leaving with Mercedes and Kurt instead of hashing out their issues doesn't exactly help. He was sure his mom was not going to be happy about any of this but he can deal with all of that later.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Rachel came back to the Puckerman house that evening, Maria rushed over to her. Taking her face into her hands, Maria examined the princess to make sure she was okay.

"Oh Rachel thank goodness you're okay. I was worried about you."

Rachel frowned, ashamed that she caused her host so much worry. "I am sorry. I made new friends and they just wanted to help me."

Maria nodded in understanding. "I understand. But where's Noah? Was he with you?"

"No actually-"

Before she could finish, Puck walked through the door only to turn around to walk right back out when he saw the look on his mother's face.

"Noah, don't even try it. Inside now." When Puck came in and closed the door behind him, Maria shook her head. "Didn't I ask you to make her feel welcomed?"

"I did."

Rachel grew angry at the lie. "No you did not. You left me as soon as we walked into the school and I was very lost. I ended up getting what Mercedes and Kurt call 'slushied' and my clothes were ruined."

Maria turned to Puck. "And where were you when all of this was happening?"

Puck thought about his morning with Santana in the janitor's closet and felt his face turning red. Noticing that his mom and Rachel were staring at him waiting for an explanation, he snapped out of it. "I was busy doing other things."

Maria groaned in exasperation. "Alright we will discuss this later. Go to your room." Puck looked between her and Rachel before rolling his eyes and walking upstairs. Maria sighed to herself and turned to Rachel. "So what did you, Kurt and Mercedes do?"

"They took me shopping for new clothes. Apparently, I was dressed as someone's grandmother. I guess my princess clothing is extremely different from American clothing. Hopefully I can fit in now."

"I understand how out of place you may feel but I don't want you to lose who you are."

Rachel nodded. "I understand and I appreciate your concern. May I go upstairs now? Today has been a very long day and I am so tired."

"Of course." Rachel went up the stairs and before she went to her room, she stopped at Puck's door and knocked on it.

He turned to her. "What do you want? Trying to get me in trouble again?"

"I did not get you in trouble, you did that by yourself. Maybe you should not leave me alone in a strange place."

"Whatever. What do you want?"

"I want to know why you are not being friendly to me. What have I done to you?"

"Nothing, I just don't like you coming in here and acting like you're a princess or something."

Rachel's heart beat faster from him correctly identifying her but she knew that she had play it cool. "I would just like to be treated with respect and dignity while I am here, even though you do not want me to be here."

"Look, I really don't give a shit whether you're here or not. All that I ask is that you stay out of my way."

Rachel sighed, finding out that they are obviously not going to get anywhere so she decided to change the subject. "Where is your father?"

Puck snapped his head to her and found himself speechless. That question doesn't get asked often. Even when the subject is brought up, everyone blows past it. Now this girl who he doesn't even know is openly questioning the elephant in the room. "He left a long time ago. Why?"

"I just noticed that he is not around and there are not any photos of him in the house. But I am sorry that he is gone and for overstepping my boundaries."

"Don't worry about it." He sighed, feeling his hostility towards her breaking. "Look, I'm sorry about not being very friendly to you. I'm just not a nice person."

"I can see that," she mumbled. "But it is okay. I understand it has to be frustrating to have someone you do not know suddenly moving in. I hope we can eventually become friends."

"Yeah." Puck nodded, not knowing what else to say. She smiled at him again before turning away and going to her own room. Puck laid there on his bed for a second, wondering what just happened. He was so determined to make this girl wish that she had never came but in the end, she just made him want to know more about her. It's obvious she and his mom had a special relationship but he just wanted to know why she was so different and why she made him think about her. As he drifted to sleep, his mind was consumed with thoughts of the girl occupying the room down the hall.

**And there you have it. We know why Puck was being so rude but we did see them come to somewhat of an understanding. But what's next for them? Will Puck go back to ignoring her or will he actually make an effort to get to know her? Find out in the next chapter. The song used is Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne. Just pretend that Rachel wrote it. Please please review! If I feel like this story isn't being well received, I won't be encouraged to continue. Bye for now :)**


	4. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**Hello everyone! I'm sorry for such a long wait. I'm working on the new chapter as we speak but I just ran into a small problem. I can't decide what season to model Rachel's makeover after. I'm stuck between seasons 3, 4, and 5 so I decided to let you guys pick. If you do choose season 4, however, please specify which part since after she got her makeover Rachel's clothes became a little more risqué than the ones towards the end of the season. Just remember, the faster you respond, the faster I can get this chapter up and get the story back on track. So please please respond and help me out. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for such the unintentional hiatus. I had writer's block on **_**Too Little, Too Late**_** and I wanted to get that done before I went on to this story. But I'm back now and I promise no more long waits. Thank you for your response in regards to what season Rachel's makeover should resemble. They were very helpful and I've finally made a decision. Because seasons 4 and 5 were tied and a reviewer gave me this idea, I'm deciding that Rachel's makeover will consist of a mixture of seasons 3 and 5 since season 3 actually takes place at high school and season 5 also gave a nice sophisticated look to Rachel. Season 4's look will make its way into the story a little later so in a way, everyone wins. Rachel's outfit in this chapter will be what she wore during Santana's performance of Don't Rain on My Parade in Season 5's Frenemies. Again, thank you all for your help. Anyway, onto the story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: A Makeover Gone Right

The next morning, Rachel woke up to find Kurt and Mercedes standing over her. She jumped in shock and shot up in bed.

"I told you we would scare her Kurt." Mercedes rolled her eyes before turning to Kurt. "Sorry girl, this was not my idea."

Rachel rubbed her eyes. "It is alright. May I ask why you are here so early? And how did you get in here?"

Kurt opened the curtains before turning back to Rachel. "We are here to make sure this makeover goes right and Maria let us in. She's always up early to enjoy a cup of coffee and the silence before her Neanderthal son and adorable but sometimes chatty daughter get up for school. But never mind that. We have to get you up and ready."

Before Rachel could protest, Kurt pulled her out of bed and rushed her into the bathroom to shower. When she finished, he immediately sat her down in front of the mirror and gave Mercedes the curling iron while he went to pull out one of the outfits they had bought for her.

"Is all of this necessary?" Rachel asked, completely unsure about what they were doing.

"Absolutely," Kurt answered. "Do you want your whole time in an American high school to be like what you experienced yesterday?"

Rachel went quiet after that. She most certainly didn't want that to happen. Yesterday had been torture and if there was a way to prevent that, she would do it. She let Mercedes take over her hair and when she had finished, Kurt rushed Rachel to get dressed in the outfit he picked out. When she came out of the bathroom dressed in the new clothes, Kurt and Mercedes smiled in approval and pride in their work.

When Rachel went downstairs, Maria looked at her in surprise. "Wow Rachel. This is a change in your normal wardrobe choice."

Rachel ran a nervous hand over her skirt. "Do I look okay? I am not used to dressing like this."

Maria walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Sweetheart you look great. I must say, this look may be better than the other one."

Rachel gave a shaky smile as Maria gave her an encouraging hug. This lasted a few seconds before Kurt and Mercedes came downstairs. Rachel pulled away from Maria and smiled at them. "Thank you for all of your help."

"Oh don't thank us yet sweetie," Kurt said. "Wait until we get to school. But before we do, I'm in the mood for an iced latte. What do you say?"

Rachel nodded and grabbed her backpack. "I'll see you later, Maria."

"Oh Rachel wait. I just remembered I have something for you." She walked away and a few seconds later, she came back with a cell phone in hand.

Rachel looked at the phone in confusion. "What is this?"

"You don't have cell phones in your country?" Mercedes asked. "Damn, I would hate to live there. No offense."

Maria noticed Rachel's uneasiness and turned to Mercedes ad Kurt. "Would you two give us a minute?"

Kurt nodded. "Sure we'll be in the car."

After they walked out of the front door, Maria placed the phone in Rachel's hand. "You use this to call people when you're not in the house. This way, if you need me or Noah, all you have to do is call us and we'll be there. I've already put our numbers on speed dial."

"And I need to have this?"

"Well it would be useful in the event of an emergency. And it helps you blend in as a regular teenager."

Rachel nodded and gave Maria one more hug as a thank you before walking out to join Kurt and Mercedes. Today was going to be different. Better. She could feel it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Puck was curious when he noticed his house guest wasn't in her bedroom getting ready for school. He went downstairs and stood in the doorway to the kitchen where Maria was cooking breakfast for Sara.

"Hey where's Rachel?" he asked.

"She left early to go with Kurt and Mercedes to get some coffee before school. You'd better get going. You overslept and you're going to be late."

Puck sighed and started to walk out. It wasn't his fault he overslept. He had been tossing and turning all night, thinking about Rachel and her past. There was so much that he didn't know about her and it bothered him. He wanted to know more about her but the problem was that their relationship wasn't the greatest. He had to figure out a way to be her friend if he wanted her to tell him anything about her life.

When he walked into the school, he heard a lot of people whispering about the new girl. As far as he knew, Rachel was the only new girl to come recently so they must've been talking about her. But some of the things they were saying were actually positive. He even heard someone refer to her as "hot". It was the complete opposite of what people thought when she came to school in her clothes from her country.

He walked until he got to her locker and when he saw her, his eyes widened. Rachel had looked completely different from yesterday. She was actually wearing a skirt that didn't come below her knees. She actually looked like she was from America. When he saw Kurt and Mercedes smiling proudly at all the attention that Rachel was getting, he knew it had to be their doing.

When she noticed Puck staring, she smiled at him. "Good morning Noah. I see you've noticed my new makeover."

"Yeah," he replied, surprised that he was able to form words. "You look so…different."

Rachel smiled eagerly. "Yes and it is all thanks to Kurt and Mercedes. I feel like I finally fit in here."

Before he could respond, Santana and Quinn walked by. Santana eyed Rachel. "Nice work Hummel. You and Wheezy actually did a pretty nice job with this one."

"Now figure out if she has boobs and then maybe she'll pass as a normal teenage girl," Quinn smirked before walking away with Santana. Rachel frowned at the insult, suddenly feeling her spirits go down.

Puck saw this and turned towards the direction Quinn and Santana were walking. "Hey Fabray!" Quinn turned around to face him. "At least she has more ass than you'll ever get, even with surgery."

Everyone in the hallway laughed as Quinn huffed and stormed off. Rachel smiled at Puck. He actually stood up for her instead of just being a bystander. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought he was.

She touched his arm. "Thank you Noah. You did not have to do that."

"Yes I did. I couldn't let them make you think you don't look amazing because you do." And after the words came from his mouth, everyone was left in shock. No one knew what to say to Puck's confession, especially Rachel. This didn't sound like the bad boy she had come to know in the few days that she had been with him.

Before anyone could say anything, one of the football players came over to Rachel. "Hey you're the foreign exchange student, right?"

Rachel nodded, taken back by how handsome he was and that he was actually talking to her. "Yes, my name is Rachel."

"Chase." He took her hand in his and placed a gentle kiss. "I just wanted to tell you that you look beautiful today."

Rachel blushed. "Thank you."

Puck, however, was not amused by any of this. "What are you doing Chase? Shouldn't you be hooking up with a Cheerio right now?"

Never taking his eyes off of Rachel, Chase replied with "Not today. I think someone more important deserves my attention. So what do you say, Rachel? Can I walk you to homeroom?"

She looked at Kurt and Mercedes, who were nodding and giving a thumbs up, before smiling and nodding. "I would be honored."

As she and Chase walked away, Puck couldn't stop staring at them. Kurt and Mercedes noticed and smirked. He looked at them. "What?"

"Is someone a little jealous?" Kurt asked, obviously amused by the situation.

"Why the fuck would I be jealous of Chase? The guy's a fucking dumbass."

"Swearing doesn't disguise the jealousy in your voice," Mercedes responded. Puck groaned before quickly walking away from them. There was no way he was jealous that Rachel was showing interest in someone. If she wanted to have a little fun while she was here, he had no problem with it. It's not like she was his girl or something. But what Puck couldn't get his head around was that if he believed all of that, why did it suck to see Rachel walk away with Chase?

XXXXXXXXXX

Rachel couldn't believe that such a handsome and funny boy was showing interest in her. This makeover must've really worked out for her. Even though she knew she wouldn't be here forever and that she shouldn't even think about something as crazy as dating, she couldn't help but want to have a little fun with this. Despite being in hiding, she had to remember that she was still a princess with obligations that didn't include dating a commoner from a different country.

But when she looked into Chase's blue eyes, the teenage girl in her took over. "Thank you for walking me to class."

He smiled at her. "No problem. We should hang out sometime."

Rachel looked at him confused. "Hang out?"

"Oh right, you're from a different country. It means to spend time with someone."

Rachel nodded in understanding. "I understand. I would love to hang out."

"Great. I'll call you later to discuss details."

"Okay," she smiled as he started to walk away. _So this is how girls feel when a boy likes them,_ Rachel thought to herself. But then her mind went back to Puck's comment about how amazing she looked. Quinn's comment made her feel bad but as soon as Puck said those words, it was like they instantly made her feel better. But he was most likely just trying to be friendly towards her. There was no way it could be anything more than that. Right?

XXXXXXXXXX

That afternoon in glee club, everyone was eager to talk about Rachel's new makeover but she was more worried about why she didn't see Puck in rehearsal. Did he get in trouble? Just when she was about to ask, Mr. Schuester called for everyone's attention.

"Okay guys let's get focused," he said, clapping his hands together. "We have sectionals in a few weeks so we need to get focused. You guys seem to like a lot of pop and rock music, but you rarely ever get outside of your comfort zone. So this week, I want to you to focus on…" he turned and wrote the word on the board before turning back to the club. "Country."

Almost immediately, there were protests heard throughout the room. Mercedes shook her head. "No way, Mr. Schue. What black country artists have you heard of?"

"That's why you have to look into it. This assignment is about getting out of your comfort zone and doing something different. We wouldn't want the judges to think of us as boring right?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "That may be true but at the end of the day, what we're used to is what we're good at and what helps us win."

The boy in the wheelchair, who Rachel has come to know as Artie, nodded. "Santana's right, do we really have to go over to the country side?"

"Guys," Mr. Schue tried again, this time firmer. "This is important. If we lose this year, that means no more glee club. So come on, can we do this?"

Although still hesitant, everyone nodded. However, Rachel wasn't too sure about this idea. Timidly, she raised her hand. She had learned that this is what American students do while in school. Mr. Schue looked at her.

"Yeah Rachel?"

"Um I do not really know a lot of American singers. Would it be alright if I asked someone for help?"

Mr. Schue nodded. "Yes absolutely."

Rachel nodded and sat quietly while everyone went through song ideas. Kurt and Mercedes noticed that Rachel was being unusually quiet and went over to her.

"Hey, you okay Rachel?" Mercedes asked.

"Where is Noah? I thought he was in the club?"

Kurt nodded. "He is. Him, Finn and Mike are just at football practice right now so they couldn't be here."

Rachel sighed in relief. "Good, I am glad."

"Do you want to come over after school so we can help you find country artists to sing?" Kurt asked.

Rachel shook her head. "No thank you. I think I would rather just go home with Noah."

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged a look of surprise but decided not to question their friend. She must've had her reasoning for not wanting to hang out with them. While Rachel noticed their surprise, she knew it was what she wanted. She wanted a chance to bond with Puck and maybe make an attempt to become friends.

When glee club was over, she went to the football field and sat in the bleachers while waiting for Puck. She could see him getting ready to run another drill and wondered how this sport was any fun. From what she read, she learned that football can be an aggressive sport. But then again, Puck can be an aggressive person sometimes so she guessed it fit for him.

When he noticed her sitting in the bleachers, Puck felt kind of happy to see her. He felt like he couldn't mess up this drill otherwise he would embarrass himself in front of her. But since when did he care about embarrassing himself in front of anyone? What was Rachel doing to him?

Finn noticed what his friend was looking at and went over to him. "Hey what's Rachel doing here?"

"I guess she's not hanging out with Hummel so that means I'm her ride home."

"I would've guessed another guy would've given her a ride. You know everyone's been talking about her all day because of her new look."

"It's not a big deal," Puck mumbled, trying to hide his jealousy. "She just looks better than yesterday."

"Well either way, she's getting a lot of attention." As Finn walked away, Puck tried to keep his feelings under control. He couldn't deny that Rachel looked great but he hated that all the other guys in school noticed as well. Especially Chase.

When practice was over, Puck walked out of the locker room and found Chase talking to Rachel, who was obviously enjoying his company. He rolled his eyes and walked over to them.

"Okay, let's get out of here," he said, breaking up their conversation. "I'm sick of looking at this place."

Rachel nodded and said a quick goodbye to Chase before leaving with Puck. As they walked to his car, she noticed that he was upset about something.

As he started to pull off and drive home, Rachel looked at him. "Noah? Are you alright?"

He snapped out of his thoughts of wanting to kill Chase and gave a quick look to Rachel. "Yeah I'm fine. Anyway, what'd I miss in glee?"

"Mr. Schue wants us to do country songs to get us out of our comfort zones." Rachel thought for a second before speaking again. "And I was wondering if you could help me with my song."

Puck nearly swerved at the request but kept driving. "Why do you want my help?"

"Well I don't know any American artists so I was hoping that you could help me find one…and maybe sing with me."

He went quiet before responding. "Why didn't you just ask Lady Hummel or Mercedes?"

"I love that they are very helpful but I was hoping that this would help us bond. It could help us get to know each other better."

"Rachel I don't know-"

"Please Noah? If this is a dreadful experience than you will not have to help me with anything else for the rest of the time that I am here for."

Puck thought about this. Maybe if they were busy rehearsing, that would occupy her time and keep her from hanging out with Chase. He looked back at her and started to nod. "Okay, we can do this."

Rachel smiled and placed a quick kiss to Puck's cheek before she realized what she was doing. When she moved away from him, she blushed in embarrassment. "Thank you, Noah. When will we start looking?"

"When we get home. My mom's working and Sara has a girl scout's thing after school so she won't be home to bug us for a while."

Rachel nodded and sat back in the seat, happy that she and Noah could possibly be becoming friends. But if she just wanted to be friends, why did she get a funny feeling in her stomach when she kissed him on the cheek?

**And there it is. Rachel's makeover is attracting a lot of attention as well as a new guy, which doesn't sit well with Puck. Will he realize that he might actually like his house guest? And what do you think of Chase? Do you think he will be a good guy or a bad guy? Please let me know what you think and like I said, I promise no more long hiatuses. Bye for now :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! I loved seeing your predictions as to how Chase will turn out. I already know what I'm going to do with him so you will find out soon enough. Rachel's outfits in this chapter will resemble season 3 just so you know. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5: The Perfect Duet

When they got home, Puck grabbed a chair so they could get on the computer and look up songs. He couldn't believe he was helping her. Normally, he never paid much attention to Schuester's lessons but knowing that Rachel wanted to sing with him made him oddly…excited.

Rachel looked at the computer in amazement. Mercier wasn't tech savvy so she wasn't used to any of this. "America has so much technology."

"Yeah I guess. It gives us the right to be lazy," he smirked. "So you said the assignment was country music right?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes."

"Okay well I don't know much about country music but judging by what my mom listens to, I have some people in mind."

For the next hour and a half, they went through artists and songs to try and find the right song for them but they weren't having a lot of luck. Every song they found, either Puck hated it, Rachel didn't think it was good enough, or both of them just disliked it altogether.

Frustrated, Puck got up from the chair. "I'm going to get a soda."

Rachel nodded and looked at the song suggestion list on youtube. As she looked, she found a song that caught her eye so she clicked on it and started listening. While he was in the kitchen, Puck heard the music playing and stood in the doorway, watching Rachel watch the music video. He had never seen her so intrigued by something and that's when he knew they found their song.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Maria came home with Sara that evening, the last thing she expected was to find Puck and Rachel sitting at the table, doing homework together. She walked in the room and stared at the two in shock as they looked over at her.

"Oh hi Maria," Rachel smiled. "Noah was just helping me with my studies. Since I am unfamiliar with everything we are learning, he said he would help me."

Maria looked at Puck to confirm this and he nodded. "Yeah I just figured that I should be helpful for once."

Not wanting to question this any further, Maria simply nodded to the explanation. "Okay well carry on while I get dinner started."

As she walked into the kitchen, Sara jumped in Rachel's lap. "Rachel guess what? My class is having a bake sale and I was hoping that you would help me bake something."

Rachel considered it. She had always snuck into the kitchen to help make something back at home so this shouldn't be any different. She nodded at smiled. "Of course I will help you. We can start tomorrow."

"Great," Sara smiled, excitedly.

"Sara follow your brother's example and go start on your own homework," Maria instructed from the kitchen. Dejectedly, Sara grabbed her backpack and trudged up the stairs as Puck and Rachel continued their work.

As she caught a glimpse of Puck trying to figure out a math problem, Rachel smiled to herself. She didn't think that they would get to a point where they were friends and could actually get along with each other. It made her feel more at ease about being here with them and made her feel like she was finally starting to fit in with him and everyone at school.

XXXXXXXXXX

That night, Puck was walking back from the bathroom when he heard cries coming from Rachel's room. Normally, he would just ignore something like this. He hated seeing girls cry so he knew that he wouldn't be much help. But listening to Rachel cry was practically unbearable for him so Puck decided to take a chance and check on her.

Knocking her door, he remembered he had to be quiet so he wouldn't wake his mom or Sara. "Rachel? You okay?"

A few seconds later, Rachel swiftly opened the door. "Yes I am alright."

"Are you sure? I thought I heard you crying."

Rachel shook her head. "It is nothing."

But when Puck looked closer at her face, he noticed the tear streaks. "I don't think this is nothing. Come on Rachel you can talk to me."

Knowing that he wasn't going to let it go, Rachel opened her door wider so he could come in. After quietly closing the door behind him, she sighed. She couldn't tell him about her fears for her parents and her country who is at war because of her. "I guess I am just feeling a little homesick."

"Well it's understandable." Then he realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to get to know more about Rachel. "You never mentioned where you were from."

Remembering what she told Kurt and Mercedes, Rachel decided to go with what she told them. "Germany."

Puck looked at her confused. "And they don't have this type of technology there?"

Realizing how obvious her amazement at technology was, she quickly tried thinking of an excuse. "I live in a poor part of the country where we do not have access to the technology."

Deciding that it was reasonable, Puck nodded in understanding. "Well I'm sure your parents miss you too. Have any siblings?"

She shook her head. "No I am an only child."

"That's a surprise. You're so good with Sara I figured it was because you had younger siblings back at home."

"No just me. Although I do wish I had a brother or sister. Someone to talk to. My own friend," Rachel frowned, realizing everything she was missing at home. She didn't have friends like Kurt and Mercedes to help her or defend her in certain situations. While she desperately missed her old life, it was one thing that made her wish she didn't have to go back to it.

Puck stared at her. Despite her being from a different country, he couldn't help but feel a connection with her. Something that's never happened to him before is happening with someone who won't even be here long. "So how long are you here for? Not that I'm trying to kick you out or anything."

Rachel thought about this. Normally foreign exchange students know how long they are in a certain place for, even though she had no idea how long she would be here. She shrugged and decided to go with an indefinite answer. "A while."

Luckily, he nodded and decided not to question it further. When he looked at the time, his face fell. They had school the next day and they were performing their song so they needed to sleep. He turned back to Rachel. "Well I think we need to get to sleep so we can be up for school. Are you okay now?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes I am fine. Thank you for checking on me."

"You're welcome. I'll see you in the morning." Rachel nodded as he walked out of her room, closing the door behind him. She laid down and smiled to herself, pleased with how things were going with them and happy to know that Puck cared about her.

XXXXXXXXXXX

As she sat in glee club the next day, Rachel couldn't help but be nervous to sing in front of the club. She and Puck had practiced after dinner and they had sounded great. But could she do that in front of the whole glee club? Everyone was so talented and some of them even wanted to make careers in the field of singing. Sure they admired her voice when she had first auditioned but what if they realized that it was nothing special?

Noticing how nervous Rachel looked while Quinn was singing a Carrie Underwood song, Puck put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Rachel nodded. "Of course, how could I not be?" When Puck gave her a knowing look, she sighed. "Okay I am terrified. I mean, everyone has such beautiful voices and I'm afraid mine will not quite match theirs."

Puck thought to himself. He wasn't good with pep talks but he had to do something before Rachel was ready to run out of the room to puke. "You have a beautiful voice too Rachel. You're just as good as everyone else, if not better. Trust me you'll be fine. Just keep your eyes on me and I'll help you through it."

Rachel smiled at him. Hearing him say that made her feel ten times better and it made her feel ready to perform. As Quinn finished her performance and Mr. Schue gave his comments, Rachel felt the nerves creep back in but she refused to let them mess her up. If Puck believes she can do it, then she can do it. There was no doubt about it. Mr. Schue called them up to go next so they got up and took their places on the floor. Puck had his guitar so when he was ready, he started strumming and the rest of the musicians followed. Taking a deep breath, Rachel began her part.

_Rachel _**Puck **_**Both**_

_Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor  
Reaching for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore_

Puck noticed how Rachel was still nervous so he walked closer to her to grab her attention. When she looked at him, she sighed a breath of relief and continued to sing.

_**And I wonder if I ever cross your mind**_  
_For me it happens all the time_

Following Puck's instructions, Rachel never took her eyes off of him. It was like there was no one else in the room but them and it made everything much better for her.

_**It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone, and I need you now  
Said I wouldn't call, but I've lost all control, and I need you now  
And I don't know how I can do without  
I just need you now**_

Puck knew he wasn't much of a singer but for some reason, he really wanted to impress Rachel. And staring at her during this performance wasn't helping him figure out why. It was like she had some kind of power over him that just made him fascinated by her. _**  
**_  
**Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door  
Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before**  
_**And I wonder if I ever cross your mind**_  
**For me it happens all the time  
**  
_**It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk, and I need you now  
Said I wouldn't call, but I've lost all control, and I need you now  
And I don't know how I can do without  
I just need you now  
**_  
**Whoa**  
_Whoa..._

Everyone in the classroom couldn't help but notice the way Puck and Rachel looked at each other. It was like they made this song fit just for them. Like they could possibly have real feelings toward each other.

_**Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all  
**__It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone, and I need you now_

Seeing Rachel's smile of encouragement for the rest of the song, Puck felt like his spirits were lifted so he gave his all into the next notes.

**And I said I wouldn't call, but I'm a little drunk, and I need you now**  
_**And I don't know how I can do without**_  
_**I just need you now**_  
_Oh baby, I need you now_

As the music ended everyone burst into applause, bringing Puck and Rachel out of their little world. Mr. Schue went over to them.

"Great job guys," he smiled. "That was beautiful. And Rachel, no one would ever know that you're not familiar with the music here."

Rachel smiled before looking at Puck. "Well I have a great teacher." Puck smiled back as looks were exchanged throughout the club. But no one noticed the disapproving look on Santana's face.

XXXXXXXXX

While Rachel was getting a book out of her locker, Chase walked over to her.

"Hey Rachel," he smiled.

She looked at him and smiled back. "Hi Chase."

"So I was thinking, we should go out tonight. There's this party my friend's throwing and I wanted you to be my date."

Excited about the idea of going to a teenage party, Rachel quickly nodded. "Yeah I'd love to go."

"Great. I'll pick you up at seven." As he walked away, Rachel couldn't help but squeal in excitement. Her first date and she was ready for it.

XXXXXXXXX

As Puck was at his locker, Santana stormed over and slam it. He looked at her in confusion.

"What's up your ass?"

"What the hell was that with you and dwarf girl in the choir room?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said while trying to walk away from her.

"Oh yes you do. Everyone in the room could see you two eye fucking each other the whole time you were singing. So what's going on? Are you fucking her?"

"No I'm not. We're just good friends that's it." Although he couldn't deny that he possibly wanted something more than friendship with Rachel.

Sensing that he was hiding something, Santana gave a smug smile. "Well I sure hope you are because she's going with Chase to a party tonight. Maybe she'll give him her cookies instead."

As she walked away, Puck couldn't help but feel disappointed at Santana's news. Rachel was really dating that guy and there was nothing he could do about it. He just wanted to know why Chase asked her out now, after her big makeover. But it didn't matter. Chase wanted Rachel and Rachel wanted him so he would have to live with it.

**Sounds like Puck has a crush! What do you think will happen at the party? Let me know. Bye for now :)**


End file.
